SPONSORED ARTICLES

MANILA – Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa became emotional once again on Tuesday, at a Senate inquiry on the death of two students separately killed by Caloocan cops, taking offense with Senator Risa Hontiveros’ remark about an alleged “state policy” for police to kill drug suspects.

While asserting that President Rodrigo Duterte had not given any orders to kill suspects, Dela Rosa added that he was willing to resign as PNP head and return to Davao City if such a state policy is proven to exist.

[I do not believe that some of our policemen are afflicted with bloodlust. There is a policy that dictates a culture of killings that’s now happening in our country.]

Reacting to the senator’s remarks, Dela Rosa immediately confronted Hontiveros and denied any state policy to kill suspects.

Citing the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO), Hontiveros said there was an existence of a “pattern” among the killings based on the cases involving the two teenagers.

She later requested for the Caloocan City police’s pre-operation and post-operation reports on the mission that resulted in the death of Delos Santos.

Dela Rosa refused to give the documents, however, saying they no longer have the motivation to submit because they have already been “pre-judged” by the senator.

This apparently stung Hontiveros, who said she expected more professional behavior from the PNP chief. She urged him to continue engaging with the Senate, as she wanted him to be part of the solution to problems plaguing the institution.

This prompted a frustrated Dela Rosa to break down at the Senate hearing.

Hontiveros also clarified she was addressing her call for police accountability to the Office of the President, hinting at the President’s overpowering pressure for law enforcers to deliver on his vow to wipe out those involved in the drug trade.

PAO chief reacts: no pattern

PAO chief Persida Acosta, meanwhile, also called out Hontiveros for attributing to her office the observation that a “pattern” is surfacing among police drug operations based on the cases of Delos Santos and Carl Arnaiz, the UP student also gunned down by Caloocan police just a day after Kian.

Acosta said the similarities she cited between the cases of Santos and Arnaiz were only related to the profile of the victims – both were teenagers and students, having OFWs as parents, and both not being named in any
drug watchlist.

“Wala po kaming sinabing pattern…Wala po kaming sinasabing gano’n. I swear to God. Huwag niyo po kaming iquo-quote [We did not say there was a pattern… We were not saying anything about that. I swear to God. Please do not quote us],” she said.

Acosta, who on Monday helped Arnaiz’s family file charges against the Caloocan cops who killed Carl, also denied that the police have been ordered to kill suspected criminals.

[There was no order to the pulis to kill without mercy. Thousands of our PAO clients are still alive because the cops arrested them and did not kill them. The police who were ready to sacrifice their lives are pitiful. It’s like they are being generalized.]

However, Hontiveros corrected the PAO chief, saying she could quote Acosta based on a radio interview.